Robotics artificial intelligence startup Physical Intelligence is currently in negotiations to raise a funding round of at least $1 billion at a post-money valuation of roughly $20 billion, nearly doubling its valuation from earlier in the year. The new financing round is reportedly being led by existing major shareholders Lux Capital and Avenir, underscoring strong institutional confidence despite the company’s early commercial stage. Founded in 2024 by prominent researchers from Google DeepMind, Stanford, and UC Berkeley, the company develops hardware-agnostic foundation models and Vision-Language-Action (VLA) algorithms (such as its flagship $\pi0$ system) designed to power diverse robotic embodiments across multiple industries. The fundraising momentum follows the company’s recent move to open its latest robotics models to external developers in a closed beta, allowing third parties to customize its general-purpose software for varied physical tasks. The milestone highlights the blistering pace of capital influx into physical AI and robotics startups, as venture investors aggressively back foundational “robot operating systems” alongside vertically integrated competitors like Figure AI and Skild AI.

Full report : Backed by surging investor appetite for robotics and humanoids, the San Francisco startup seeks to raise at least $1 billion in a new funding round.